The boxcar that sits on the
grounds outside the home of American Legion Travis Post 76 has an interesting history.In 1947 the people of France and Italy were still struggling to recover from the devastation of World War II. In an effort to help, American newspaper columnist
Drew Pearson
spearheaded a fundraising campaign to provide them with food, clothing,and other necessities. Americans contributed generously to the purely grass-roots effort, filling an "American Friendship Train" with $40 million in relief supplies.
Touched by this response to their need, the French answered with a program of their own. The idea originated with André Picard,a veteran and railroad employee, who suggested that a boxcar be filled with gifts from every part of France and sent to the United States as a gesture of gratitude.
The boxcar he had in mind was a "Forty and Eight," so-called because it could carry forty men or eight horses. The stubby--20.5 feet long, 8.5 feet wide--old wooden cars had been used to transport U.S. troops from place to place within France during both world wars. Although memories of those rides were not always pleasant, the cars nonetheless gave their name to a fraternity formed within the American Legion --La Société des Quarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux--in 1920.
Picard's idea led to the creation of a committee to solicit enough gifts to fill one boxcar. But response exceeded all expectations, and it soon became obvious that a single boxcar could not hold all the items. The French War Veterans Association assumed control of the project and decided to try to fill 49 boxcars,one for every state then in the Union and one for the District of Columbia and Hawaii.
In all, 52,000 gifts, weighing 250 tons and ranging from a Louis XV carriage to children's drawings to tree seedlings were collected during 1948 and crammed into the railroad cars, which were then loaded aboard the freighter Megellan at Le Havre for their transatlantic journey.
The ship, with "Merci, America" adorning its sides, received a royal welcome in New York harbor on February 3, 1949.Congress had passed a resolution allowing the gifts to enter the country duty-free, and longshoremen volunteered their services to bring the cars ashore. Of too narrow a gauge for American rails, the cars were loaded onto flatcars for delivery, at no charge, by the nation's railroads to state capitals across the country.
On reaching their destinations, the cars were greeted by dignitaries at special ceremonies. Their contents, after being displayed for a time, were distributed in a variety of ways. Many were sold at auction, with the proceeds going to charity, while some especially significant items went to public institutions.
Unfortunately, few of the gifts lovingly placed in the cars by the citizens of France can be traced today. But, those cars that have survived vandalism and the ravages of time testify to a great expression of friendship and caring between two nations and their peoples who fought side by side for a common goal half a century ago.
Goodwill and Gratitude: Gifts from the French Merci Train of 1949, opened on February 12, 1999 at the Texas Memorial Museum. This exhibit celebrated the 50th anniversary of a thank-you gift-a trainload of personal items and presents-from the people of France to the people of the United States. The exhibit was a collaboration between the Texas Memorial Museum, which houses a portion of the gifts in its collections, and the Texas chapter of the 40 & 8, an affiliate of the American Legion, which cares for the actual boxcar that carried the gifts to Texas. The exhibit ran until June 30,1999.
Several events were held to commemerate this anniversary by
Voiture 175 of the
Society of Forty Men and Eight Horses
which is responsible for maintaining the boxcar.
Thus, in February of 1949, the French Gratitude Train, popularly known as the "Merci Train," arrived by ship in New York Harbor, filled with gifts of thanks from the French people. Many of these gifts-including a trumpet, sheet music, toys, a saber, and even a wedding dress!-are held in the collections of the Texas Memorial Museum, and were featured in the exhibit Goodwill and Gratitude: Gifts from the French Merci Train of 1949.
The boxcar is currently on view at
2201 Veterans Blvd on the grounds of
American Legion Travis Post 76(just south of Lake Austin Boulevard at MOPAC Loop 1). There are
42 plaques
that were mounted on the boxcar when it arrived. They represent the departments or provinces of France that contributed gifts to this boxcar. The plaques are stored away to preserve them and displayed on the boxcar during the
Society of Forty Men and Eight Horses
Grand du Texas Winter Cheminot and Merci Boxcar Pilgimage. This usually takes place early in the morning on the 3rd or 4th Sunday in February commemorating the date when the boxcar arrived in Texas.
Directions to Travis Post 76 From North Austin
Take MoPac(Loop 1) to the Lake Austin Blvd exit.
Continue past Lake Austin Blvd. on the frontage road (Atlanta St.)
The Post is on the right just past the RunTex store.There is some parking at the Post.
The Post has another parking area a half-block west of MOPAC(Loop 1)on Lake Austin Blvd.The entrance is next to the bus stop. Once you go past the Post on the access road(Atlanta Street) turn right on Veterans Blvd, turn right on Lake Austin Blvd and go about half a block and turn right at the entrance near the bus stop.
Other additional parking can be found across MOPAC(Loop 1) by Austin High School. Continue past the Post on the access road(Atlanta Street),turn left on Veterans Blvd and go under the overpass and there is a parking area there.
From South Austin
Take MoPac(Loop 1) to the Lake Austin Blvd exit.
Turn Left onto Lake Austin Blvd.
Turn Left onto South Loop 1 frontage road(Atlanta St).
The Post is on the right just past the RunTex store.There is some parking at the Post.
The Post has another parking area a half-block west of MOPAC(Loop 1)on Lake Austin Blvd.The entrance is next to the bus stop. Once you go past the Post on the access road(Atlanta Street) turn right on Veterans Blvd, turn right on Lake Austin Blvd and go about half a block and turn right at the entrance near the bus stop.
Other additional parking can be found across MOPAC(Loop 1) by Austin High School. Continue past the Post on the access road(Atlanta Street),turn left on Veterans Blvd and go under the overpass and there is a parking area there.
There is an excellent web site called Railway Preservation News with pictures and information about the rest of the French Merci Boxcars that went to the other states at http://www.mercitrain.org/.
